Dragon visits Tustin school in anti-bullying campaign

Jan. 9, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, gets up close with the students during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin Wednesday morning. Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by Riley Minerto, spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, gets up close with the students during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin Wednesday morning. Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by Riley Minerto, spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, gets up close with the students during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin Wednesday morning. Hiccup the trainer, played by Riley Minerto, spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by actor Riley Miner spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying Wednesday morning during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hannah Kim, a student at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin, along with Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by Riley Miner, rub the throat of Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, Wednesday morning. Hiccup and Stinger were part of a anti-bullying program presented to fourth- and fifth-grade students. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hiccup, played by Riley Miner, holds a hoop as Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, tries to jump through it Wednesday morning at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin as fourth- and fifth-grade students look on. Hiccup and Stinger were part of a anti-bullying program presented to the students. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, gets down to the students' level during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin Wednesday morning. Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by Riley Minerto, spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by Riley Miner, speaks to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying Wednesday morning during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, scares a few students during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin Wednesday morning. Hiccup the dragon trainer, left, played by Riley Minerto, spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Hannah Kim, a student at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin, talks about the visit from Hiccup and Stinger to her school Wednesday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jake Huarte, 10, a fourth-grade student at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin, talks about the visit from Hiccup and Stinger to his school Wednesday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Delaney Densher, 11, a fifth-grade student at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin, talks about the visit from Hiccup and Stinger to her school Wednesday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gracie Petrie, 9, a fourth-grade student at Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin, talks about the visit from Hiccup and Stinger to her school Wednesday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Stinger, a 10-foot-tall animatronic dragon, gets up close with the students during a visit to Peters Canyon Elementary School in Tustin Wednesday morning. Hiccup the dragon trainer, played by Riley Minerto, spoke to fourth- and fifth-grade students about bullying. MARK RIGHTMIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

TUSTIN – Students at Peters Canyon Elementary School were in for a surprise Wednesday morning when a life-size dragon stopped by the campus.

Fourth- and fifth-graders cheered as they welcomed Stinger, a large animatronic dragon, into the multipurpose room. The dragon sniffed around the audience before taking his place in the center of the room.

The anti-bullying assembly was organized by DreamWorks' "How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular," which is coming to the Honda Center this month. A number of hands went up when dragon trainer Hiccup the Viking, played by 19-year-old Riley Miner, asked if any of the students had been bullied.

He went on to explain that everyone is different, and that people can get along without bullying. Minor said he had been bullied as a child as well.

Kids get the message when adults explain why bullying is bad, said 11-year-old Alison Nesbitt, who said she'd experienced some bullying in earlier grades. Assemblies like this help, she said.

"Don't change your personality because people don't respect you," the fifth-grader said. Alison was one of the students chosen to help train Stinger. Her task was to toss a ball at the dragon, which kicked or head-butted it back to her.

Jake Huarte, 10, was surprised at the size of the dragon – measuring 10 feet tall and 17 feet long. He, like Alison, played catch with Stinger.

"It was bigger than I thought because (Miner) said, 'Littlest dragon.' That was a pretty big dragon for the littlest," Jake said.

Others, like fourth-grader Gracie Petrie, 9, ran up under Stinger's neck and reached up to scratch under his jaw.

"The dragon seemed so realistic," she said. A favorite was when Stinger sniffed the students, and bit the air near their faces. Many quickly scooted backward, afraid to get too close to the creature's mouth.

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